Charges against the white suspect came after Attorney General Merrick Garland visited the site of the massacre and met with the families of the victims.
“No one in this country should live in fear that they will go to work or shop at the grocery store and be attacked by someone who is the color of their skin,” Garland said after meeting with family members. Cause hates them.”
A criminal complaint filed by prosecutors at the US Attorney’s Office for the Western District of New York states that, “Gendron’s motive for the mass shooting was to prevent black people from taking the place of white people and eliminating the white race, and others.” Had to motivate him to do the same. Attacks.” The detailed plans outlined in the complaint were allegedly made by Gendron for the attack.
Buffalo police said Gendron is accused of shooting 13 people aged 20 to 86 at Topps Friendly Market on May 14. Buffalo police said eleven were black and two were white.
The 18-year-old suspect has been charged with 10 counts of a hate crime resulting in death, three counts of a hate crime related to bodily injury, 10 counts of use of a firearm to commit murder in the course of and in connection with a violent crime, and three counts of murder. cases have been alleged. Using and discharging a firearm in the course of a violent crime, pursuant to a criminal complaint.
The latter three cases carry the possibility of capital punishment.
Garland, who has placed a temporary moratorium on federal executions while the department reviews policies and procedures, must make a decision about whether to seek the death penalty.
When asked whether federal prosecutors would seek the death penalty in this case, Garland said, “The Department of Justice has a series of procedures that are followed … the families and survivors will be consulted.”
CNN has reached out to Gendron’s lawyers for comment.
Gendron is expected to appear in Buffalo federal court Thursday for a preliminary appearance before US Magistrate Judge H. Kenneth Schroeder, Jr.
Garland, Associate Attorney General Vanitha Gupta and Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Kristen Clarke visited the memorial adjacent to the supermarket for about 10 minutes on Wednesday. Garland placed 10 roses on the site, each representing the slain.
“In the days and weeks since the attack, we have all seen the strength of the bonds of this community, its resilience and its love,” Garland told reporters. “I am humbled to realize, for the first time, in my discussion with families. Hateful acts of violence perpetuate not only those who are attacked, but terrorize entire communities. Hate is an immediate devastation and it creates permanent fear.”
The gunman had planned the attack for years, said in the complaint
During a search of the gunman’s home, federal officials found a laptop with a document containing a detailed plan of the attack he had reportedly been planning for years. According to the complaint, the document states that he “got really serious” about the attack in January.
In the document, Gendron allegedly called himself a white man “seeking to protect and serve my community, my people, my culture and my race” and said he had never been diagnosed with a mental disability or disorder. . He reportedly said that his goal was to “kill as many blacks as possible” and “avoid dying”.
The complaint said that in a handwritten note found in his bedroom by agents, Gendron apologized to his family for “attacking this” and said he did it because he “cares about the future of the white race”. Agents also found receipts for a candy bar they bought at Topps on March 8 in their bedroom, as well as clear sketches of the store’s layout.
Authorities believe he visited the shop several times a day before the attack and reportedly two-and-a-half hours before the firing began. The complaint said he “counted the number of black people inside and outside the store.”
Hours before the shooting, the complaint said, Gendron “saw a ‘healthy amount of old and young’ black people at the store.”
During the stampede, Gendron shot a Bushmaster XM-15 . targeted at The complaint said a white supermarket employee was shot with a rifle that had already been shot. According to the complaint, instead of shooting him, Gendron said “sorry” to that victim, “looking to shoot and kill more black people” before proceeding through the rest of the store.
The complaint described how several customers and employees took refuge in “a stock room, a conference room, a freezer and a dairy cooler” while others fled through the back door.
According to the complaint, the gunman fired around 60 bullets during the attack.
Police said the suspect arrived at the supermarket on the afternoon of May 14, heavily armed and wearing tactical gear. He also had a camera which was live streaming his movements.
Using an assault weapon, the gunman shot four people outside a grocery store, killing three, officials said.
When he entered the store, he opened fire with an armed security guard, who officers said was a retired Buffalo police officer. The security personnel died due to injuries. The suspect shot eight more people in the shop, six of whom died.
The complaint said the rifle used in the attack had writing on it including racial slurs and the phrase “The Great Replacement”.
According to the complaint, Gendron wrote that he selected the Buffalo zip code that had the highest percentage of black people closest to where he lived—and a store with a large number of black people.
CNN’s Laura Lee contributed to this report.